U.S. Embassy sponsors “Strength in Diversity” Video Contest

The U.S. Embassy in Abuja is inviting Nigerians throughout the country to compete in its “Strength in Diversity” video contest.

Ambassador W. Stuart Symington opened the competition on September 6, 2017 and submissions have already been entered. The contest runs for one month and closes on October 6 so there is still time to enter. Creators of the top videos will win prizes.

The intent of the contest is to offer Nigerians the chance to creatively express their national pride in the country’s immense diversity and their desire for national unity. Entrants are asked to create an original video of no longer than three minutes in duration, upload it to YouTube, and complete the contest form.

Ambassador Symington suggests that despite the focus on the issues that seem to divide Nigerians, there needs to be greater attention placed on Nigerians’ desire for peace and unity as well as the pride that Nigerians have in their cultural diversity.
“The institutions of any nation are like a building, they rest on a foundation and that foundation is its citizens… and I am utterly convinced that Nigeria’s greatest resource is the Nigerian people,” according to Ambassador Symington.

The “Strength in Diversity” video contest seeks to give Nigerians a creative avenue to highlight this strength.

The contest is open to all adult Nigerians. We are looking for creativity, originality, a message emphasizing the strength to be found in diversity, and a clear focus on Nigeria.

At the end of the submission period, the videos that have garnered the greatest amount of online engagement based on likes, shares, and comments, will be presented to a committee of judges who will select the prize winners based on how well they conveyed the theme of the contest.

For those who are not able to create your own video, they may contribute to the contest results by indicating a like for someone else’s video. Again, videos that receive the most engagement will move forward to be judged by the expert panel.

The creators of the top three videos will win high-quality Canon cameras. The results will be announced online in a Facebook Live and the winners will be invited to the embassy to receive their prizes.